The Darkness Within
by ToryTigress92
Summary: The Doctor and his crew are distracted by a distress call from a planet about to fall into a black hole. What they find on this dead planet will have interesting, unforeseen consequences for two of them.
1. Chapter 1

The Darkness Within

* * *

"Doctor!" the cry came from three throats in the Tardis console room. The time ship tilted alarmingly, throwing all the inhabitants but the sandy-haired man at the controls, into the walls of the circular room. The Doctor held onto the console by the tip of his fingernails, gritting his teeth as temporal inertia threw everything out of balance.

"Hold on! It'll pass in a moment!" the Doctor yelled, flicking a switch on the console. When nothing happened, he thumped the console in frustration. The rotor stuttered and picked up speed again, and the console room righted itself once more. "That's my girl!"

A slender, youthful girl with long brunette, wildly curling hair picked herself up off the floor tentatively.

"Doctor, was that really necessary?" Nyssa asked, rubbing her head where she had hit it during the inertia.

"Yes; as if abducting me wasn't enough, you have to throw me around too?" a shrill, Australian accent inquired belligerently. The speaker slowly appeared from the other side of the console, just in front of the door, dressed in a lavender air stewardess's uniform, tight auburn curls brushing the collar. The Doctor turned toward her, one eyebrow raised.

"I did not abduct you, Tegan! And as for the 'throwing you around'," the Doctor turned back to his controls dismissively, "It must be the lateral balance cones. Accelerating the polarity of the neutron flows must have thrown them off-balance, and us with it,"

"You and your incomprehensible explanations! I barely understand one word in five," Tegan grumbled as she clambered up from the floor, her high-heels clinking against the floor.

* * *

"Where's Adric?" Nyssa looked around for her friend. "Adric?"

Something that sounded suspiciously like 'Nerrrhgggg' sounded from the opposite side of the console. The Doctor glanced down concernedly.

"Come on, Adric. No time to lie about," he said briskly, returning his gaze to the scanner.

Adric emerged from beneath the console, pale-faced and dishevelled.

"Easy for you to say," he grumbled, as he dragged himself upright, and readjusted the blue star badge on his chest.

"Where are we?" Tegan asked, joining the Doctor at the scanner. The Doctor glanced at her sheepishly.

"Errr….the temporal inertia threw the Tardis off-balance, I'm afraid. I need to do some repairs and it would be inadvisable to attempt a dematerialisation now. I am sorry, Tegan," he explained, conscious of yet another failure. Tegan turned away.

"Sure, sure Doctor. Where are we?" she asked again, resignation filtering into her tone. Attempt after attempt to return her to her own time had gone awry; and although a part of her was secretly glad to postpone the departure from the Tardis, the rest of her told the other part to shut up.

"Ummm, somewhere in the Kulric galaxy, some five hundred billion light-years from the Milky Way. The year is….8066, in the new Byzantine calendar. Humanity hasn't penetrated this far yet,"

"Is it very likely they ever will?" Tegan muttered under her breath.

"No. It would take them billions of years to reach this far, and their space ships are far too primitive. Space travel this deep is limited by humanity's own weakness; their mortality," the Doctor said, flicking a few more switches on the console. At that moment, a light began flashing on the console, bleeping a soft lavender.

"What does that mean?" Nyssa asked, Adric following on her tail, as they circled the console to look at the alarm.

* * *

"It's a distress call. Lavender means danger," the Doctor said, brushing them aside, and punching in co-ordinates. The time rotor wheezed in protest. "Come on, old girl,"

"But if it's dangerous; surely it would be red?" Tegan asked, her brow furrowed. The Doctor sent her an incredulous look.

"Tegan, sometimes it amazes me how narrow-minded humans can be. Just because red signifies danger on your world doesn't mean it does for the rest of the galaxy. Lavender is the galactic indicator for danger," the Doctor told her brusquely, as he traced the source of the distress call.

"Sorry," Tegan turned away disinterestedly. The Doctor chose to ignore her little huff.

"Doctor, the signal is originating from the Hades system, according to the database. On one of the outer planets, there could be a problem," Adric interrupted, glancing up from the scanner, a worried frown on his youthful face.

"Oh?" the Doctor peered over Adric's shoulder, forgetting his tiff with Tegan. "Ahh, I see."

"What is it?" Nyssa and Tegan asked at the same time.

"The planet the distress call is originating from is close to orbiting a black hole. It only has a few hours before it enters terminal orbit," the Doctor explained, a worried frown, equal to Adric's wrinkling his smooth brow.

"What we gonna do?" Tegan asked, searching his face intently. She knew the answer even before he spoke.

"We going to help, of course. It'll be close, but as long as we're not out there too long, we shouldn't get caught," he replied.

"But won't the gravitational effect of the black hole affect the Tardis?" Adric asked. The Doctor placed a fatherly arm around his shoulders.

"Adric, my people virtually invented black holes, we'll be fine. Now as long we use the environmental suits…." The Doctor's tone dropped its condescending edge as he began telling them what to do. Rolling their eyes, Tegan and Nyssa ignored him, turned on their heel and went off in search of the environmental suits. The Doctor stared after them exasperatedly.

"Why do they always do that?" he muttered, before turning back to the console. Adric heard him and sent him a small smile.

"Because they're girls," he replied.

"OI! We heard that!" Tegan's voice filtered into the console room, as a pair of environmental suits came flying through the door towards the two males. The Doctor caught his deftly, but Adric's collided with his head. The sounds of feminine laughter filtered through from the corridor.

* * *

There was a slight jolt as the Tardis landed, the Tardis crew hanging onto the console. The collective sigh of relief elicited an exasperated roll of the eyes from the Doctor, as he flicked the switch on his helmet, and adjusted the oxygen settings.

"Now, we cannot remain any longer than an hour out there, before our oxygen runs out, and we only have that time before the gravity well of the black hole will begin to affect the planet. So no wandering off, got that?" the Doctor said sternly, not stopping to see if he would be obeyed. He pulled the lever to open the doors and stepped out.

And into devastation.

The planet was a barren rock, black asphalt filling the deserts. Above them, hanging in the sky, the black hole shone with an eerie light, malevolent as a grinning demon. Tegan shivered as she looked up at it, the Doctor giving her a comforting squeeze of the hand. Adric and Nyssa looked up at the sky curiously, but it did not affect them as much as it did the Earthling. Adric held a handheld tracer in his hand, emitting a soft _bleep_ in the howling night.

The planet seemed like a reproduction of Hell. The sky was a blood red ocean of gas clouds and rock shards, tumbling into the black hole's greedy mouth. The planet was a black desert of asphalt sand, blowing over the surface, over the crumbling remains of buildings and natural escarpments of stone.

"The signal is coming from a mile north-east of our position. It should only take ten minutes to walk there," Adric said, following the _bleep _intently.

"Especially as Tegan isn't in her usual high-heels," the Doctor muttered acerbically, forgetting that Tegan would hear him over the built-in intercom. She swiped him with her gloved hand. "Owww!"

"Let's get moving before we run out of time," Nyssa suggested, staving off yet another argument. It was all the Doctor and Tegan seemed to do these days.

"Yes, let's," the Doctor said, as he as usual, led the way into Hell.

The tracer led them to a small cave, a mile away from the Tardis, set back into a mountain range that rimmed the red sky like spears of black stone. Tegan felt a shiver ripple down her spine. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Doctor….." she began, as he helped her over a ridge and onto the ledge outside the cave. "I have a bad feeling about this,"

"What? Oh there's nothing to worry about Tegan. All intelligent life died out on this planet centuries ago," he gestured, including the ruins in the distance.

"Then why is a distress call being sent out?" she asked, her fear betraying her through the tinny intercom.

"Perhaps someone crash-landed here, drawn by the black hole. Whatever, we must help them," the Doctor replied gently. Patting her shoulder, he stepped into the cave. Taking a deep breath, Tegan stepped in after him and the others.

* * *

Inside, the cave was dry and quiet after the howl of the wind outside. It possessed a sandy floor, similar to the sand of the deserts outside. The ceiling arched far over their heads, a black cavern of twisted, tortured stone like some perverted cathedral.

The floor dipped into a circular bowl, as the time travellers slid down into it. In the very centre of the bowl stood a pedestal, fashioned so it looked almost natural in the cavern, and atop it lay a nondescript black object, rectangular in shape and small in size, and yet it seemed to be pulsating gently, like some grotesque amoeba. The Doctor and Adric approached it wearily, scientific curiosity painting identical expressions on their faces. Tegan hung back uncertainly. She still didn't have a good feeling about this. Nyssa stood nearest the cave opening, keeping an eye on the time.

"What is it, Doctor?" Adric asked as they knelt beside the pedestal. The Doctor glanced at him.

"I don't know. Yet." he amended, as he leaned forward eagerly in the scant light. "Hold the light up a bit, Adric,"

Adric dutifully raised the torch, and the mysterious object spasmed. The Doctor yanked Adric's arm down, and the torch tumbled into the dirt.

"Doctor?"

"Don't let any white light anywhere near it. It could prove fatal," the Doctor replied, peering closer.

"What is it?" Adric asked.

"It's a black energy device. I can't be sure of its purpose, but if you shine that torch on it it'll explode, and that could cause a big problem," he explained.

"How big?" Tegan asked wryly from the cave opening. He turned to glance at her glaringly.

"Humongous. An explosion of black energy would swell that relatively small black hole to supermassive size, not a good thing. I need to disarm it, or at least render it inert, before the planet falls into the black hole," the Doctor replied tersely.

"Hmph, why am I not surprised?" Tegan muttered quietly. Ignoring her, the Doctor reached towards the object.

A wave of foreboding shook Tegan. "Doctor, no!"

The Doctor's hand brushed the casing, and a ray of black light seemed to emit from the object and hit the Doctor. He collapsed on the floor.

"Doctor!" Tegan, Nyssa and Adric rushed to his side. When they turned him over, his head lolled unconsciously. "Nyssa, how much time do we have?" Tegan asked, pulling one of the Doctor's arms over her shoulder.

"We need to get back to the Tardis now. The gravitational effect will already by affecting the flow of time," Nyssa replied gravely. She took the other arm, and nodded at the black object.

"Adric, take that with us. It may help us later,"

"But what if it's dangerous?" Tegan asked, as they began to drag the Doctor out of the cave. Nyssa shook her head.

"I don't think it is anymore. That looked like a defensive mechanism to me," Nyssa replied, already out of breath from the Doctor's weight. Adric picked it up slowly, but there was no ray of black light this time.

"Come on. Let's get back to the Tardis,"

Together, the three humanoids dragged the Doctor back to the Tardis, as the planet began its inexorable fall into the black hole.


	2. Chapter 2

The Darkness Within

* * *

"Adric! Dematerialize the Tardis now!" Tegan yelled as they dragged the Doctor over the threshold of the Tardis. He lay, a dead weight, in Nyssa and Tegan's arms, as Adric jumped over their feet and punched the door lever. It struggled to close, the howling wind outside sucking all atmosphere from the console room.

"The black hole's gravity is starting to take effect! Adric we have to take off, now!" Nyssa cried, leaving the Doctor in Tegan's care, her environmental suit rustling as she rushed to the doors and closed them manually, fighting against the rising gravity outside.

Adric rushed to the console, quickly setting in a random set of co-ordinates, hoping the Tardis would have enough power to get them away from the black hole. The rotor wheezed in protest, before Adric thumped it soundly, and it faded away into the time vortex. The three time travellers released a collective sigh of relief.

"I'm putting the Tardis into temporal orbit, until the Doctor can repair it. I don't dare do anything else," Adric explained, as Nyssa came to his side. She smiled at him happily.

"Good. Now, Tegan we should get the Doctor somewhere he can rest until he wakes up-" she trailed off as the Doctor emitted a low groan, stirring slightly in Tegan's arms. Tegan bent over him worriedly.

"Doctor? Doctor, can you hear us?" she called. Beneath the visor, his eyes fluttered open. "Doctor?"

* * *

A moment later, Tegan recoiled. For one crazy moment, she thought his eyes had glowed a strange unearthly green, and she scurried back in fear. In that one, impossible moment, he had looked at her with such _hunger_. But he was the Doctor, and she was Tegan Jovanka. They were just reluctant friends. But the rush of pure desire that had risen in response scared her, and thrilled her.

"Tegan! What is it?" Nyssa said, as the Doctor's helmet made a loud _clomping_ sound as it hit the floor.

"I….I…." Tegan stuttered.

"Ohh….my head…." the Doctor moaned, as Nyssa quickly got his helmet off.

"Doctor, are you alright?" Tegan asked, as she cautiously crawled towards him. His gaze speared her, and for a moment, she saw the poisonous green, before it faded back into blue.

"I-I think so. W-what happened?" the Doctor said, shaking his head, trying to shake away the strange fog clouding his brain.

"You don't remember?" Nyssa asked, peering at him in concern. The Doctor felt an uncharacteristic temper rise.

"I wouldn't be asking otherwise, would I, you stupid girl!" he snapped, venom in his tone. Nyssa's eyes widened, and the Doctor felt a strange surge of satisfaction at the hurt in her eyes, before it was replaced by horror. "Nyssa, I'm so sorry. I-I don't feel quite myself,"

"Could the black ray have affected him?" Nyssa looked away from him to Adric.

Who shrugged his shoulders.

"Possibly. I don't understand black light," he replied.

"Wait, wait, wait. Black light? I don't….."

"Doctor?"

"I'm beginning to remember. Just. I think I need to go have a little lie down," the Doctor's brow creased in confusion. What was wrong with him?

"Alright, Doc. You go do that," Tegan said briskly, standing up. The Doctor nodded passively, as Nyssa helped him up, and he stumbled out of the console room. The three assistants watched him go with concern in their eyes.

* * *

As soon as the door closed, Adric turned to Tegan.

"What was that all about?" he demanded.

"What?" Tegan replied belligerently.

"You jumped back from the Doctor like he scalded you! And a minute ago, you looked like you'd seen a ghost!" he told her.

"What d'you think is wrong with the Doctor? He's acting the same as when he regenerated," Nyssa said. "He's not himself, at all!"

"Hmmm, I know. Well, it might just be the bump on the head," Adric offered. Nyssa and Tegan shrugged, their eyes following the Doctor out the room.

"Well, we're stuck in temporal-whatever so we may as well get some rest," Tegan offered, fighting down a strange shiver. She had a very bad feeling about this.

* * *

The Doctor stumbled through the Tardis corridors to his room. His entire body felt like it was burning, on fire, which wasn't difficult when you had a core temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But this was entirely different. His mind felt torn in two, howling in pain. Something was wrong; seriously wrong. And the emotion that had flared, when he'd awoken to see Tegan's lovely face above his- wait a moment. Tegan? Lovely? When had he started thinking about her like this?

To him, Tegan was a thorn in his side, one that loved to argue and belittle him constantly. Whenever he made a mistake, Tegan was always there to point it out. She truly was infuriating. But, as the Doctor slumped against the wall, already tearing at the fastenings of his environmental suit, he had to admit she was lovely. All her belligerence and fieriness hid a good soul, and a kind heart. She'd come back for him on Logopolis. She had helped him through his regeneration, even though she could've run after he had fallen from the gantry at the Pharos Project. She'd been in the right time too. And she WAS lovely.

The way her auburn hair fell against her temples, cut short but yet still so feminine. Those brown eyes that seemed so shrewish and piercing, and yet, in unguarded moments he now realised, shone with courage and fragility. Her body was attractive enough, he supposed, for a human, but now he truly thought on it, she had a figure most women would die for. Thinking of her in her air stewardess's uniform, he understood where the sexual stereotype came from. All he wanted to do was…

No, no, no! The Doctor shut out the extremely odd thoughts crowding into his brain. But every time he did, an odd need built in his body, bringing back images of Tegan into his mind. A little voice in the back of his head prodded him to turn around and drag Tegan from the console room, back to his quarters and not let her go until….

The Doctor pulled himself into his room, fighting the compulsion setting his body aflame. He dumped the suit on the floor, pulling his cricket jumper off in the process. His two hearts throbbing in his chest, he collapsed onto his bed, face contorted in pain.

* * *

Tegan lay in bed, staring up at the Tardis ceiling. On the opposite side of the room, Nyssa lay, sleeping softly, her chest rising and falling gently beneath the linen coverlet. Somewhere across the corridor, she could hear Adric's adolescent snores. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't make herself drop off. And it was becoming aggravating.

With a frustrated snort, Tegan sat up abruptly, her head in her hands. She couldn't get the Doctor out of her head. The way he'd looked at her when he came to had both frightened and allured her, to see such desire in his eyes. But he didn't feel that way about her, surely. Could Time Lords even…?

Shirking away from that subject, Tegan went back to how she felt about the Doctor. Sure he was handsome enough, better than when she'd first met him, but why this now? He infuriated her more than anything; with his condescending little smile and his arrogance. The way he would dismiss her like an ignorant child. Lord he was annoying!

Tegan thumped the pillow, forgetting Nyssa, who stirred sleepily.

"Tegan? What is it?" she asked, her voice still hoarse from sleep. Tegan jumped and looked over at her bed.

"Nothing, Nyssa, sorry. Go back to sleep."

"Can't you?" she asked, sitting up slightly, glancing worriedly at her friend.

"No. It feels like there are too many thoughts whizzing about my head right now," Tegan admitted ruefully. She wouldn't admit what they were for anything. Nyssa gazed at her, guessing what was on Tegan's mind, but also guessing her decision not to divulge her thoughts. She respected it, indeed, she did not envy Tegan the conflict she knew was raging in her. She could see it every time she looked at the Doctor.

"Why don't you try going for a walk? It might help to relax you," she suggested. Tegan hesitated, then nodded.

"Sure. It might help, and in the meantime you can go back to sleep," she smiled, and swung her legs out of bed. She was clad in a long white silk nightgown, one she'd found in the Tardis wardrobes, and she shivered slightly when her bare feet touched the cold floor. She grabbed a shawl that lay incongruously over her bedstead, and draped it around her shoulders. Sending the sleepy Nyssa a swift smile, she slipped quietly out of the bedroom.

* * *

Once outside, Tegan wondered where to go. She didn't want to get lost, or heaven knew, the Doctor would just have something else to tease her about. An image of the strange stone room she had once gotten lost in surfaced. It might be cool in there, she could sit and think, as long as she remembered the way. Setting her chin decisively, she set off.

The Cloister was a fairly innocuous part of the Tardis. Really, it served no function, and it was obvious in the ivy that trailed across the crumbling stone columns, the dust-covered benches, and the forlorn, cold atmosphere that pervaded it. But for Tegan, it was just fine. She sat down on one of the benches in the centre of the room, and pulled her shawl closer around her. At least here, in the cool shadows of this mysterious place, she could sit and think.

Now she was safe from prying eyes, she thought about all that had happened that day. The planet, the black hole, the black light ray…..the look in the Doctor's eyes when he awoke…

Now she was alone, she had to admit how incredibly beautiful his eyes were. Particularly when the sapphire crystallized, shot through with silvery desire, like hard diamonds that yet flickered with a fire that promised to both burn and chill. _But that was so uncharacteristic for him,_ she mused, _he's so self-controlled. Something's wrong. That snap at Nyssa proves that._

Leaning her head back against one of the columns, Tegan remembered the first time she had run in here, tired and almost hysterical with fear after wandering the maze of corridors for what seemed like hours. The cold chuckle, which she now knew had belonged to the Master, that sent cold shivers down her spine. The hot, angry tears that had boiled over. She'd never had a very long leash, when it came to her temper. All her arguments with the Doctor proved that.

Sighing, Tegan imagined what his lips on hers would feel like. The sudden rush of heat that swept down her spine was enough to make her snap out of the daydream. This was dangerous; just because he'd looked at her in a funny way, now she was making an utter cake of herself over him? Not if she had anything to say about it!

Even so a giddy dream washed over her, despite the determination to block it out.

* * *

_A daydream of cool flesh against hers, hard, austerely sensual lips claiming hers, drinking in all the fire and the insults she so habitually threw at him. The feel of gold-spun silken hair beneath her fingers, and toned muscles that held her enthralled, whilst his burning blue eyes bored into hers, challenging her, teasing, taunting her to break first. That ultimate feeling of fire rising from him and coursing into her, that inescapable need…_

* * *

Tegan gasped, and stood abruptly, letting her shawl fall to the ground. She was suddenly way too hot, almost as if someone had been messing with the Tardis air conditioning again.

Adric, probably.

As she rose from her seat, she tried to banish the intoxicating fantasies from her head, like the practical feminist she was. The Doctor didn't see her that way, and he never would. Crossing her arms over her chest, she chafed the skin that goose-pimpled in the cold, the fire still licking her veins inside. A single tear slipped down her cheek. Oh why did this have to happen? She was leaving the Tardis, and her crew, leaving to go back to her job as an air stewardess and back to a normal life. She couldn't do this, she shouldn't let herself feel things she couldn't. But it was too late.

Trying to distract herself, she peered at her surroundings. She must ask Adric where she had been, as especially now she should be getting back to her bedroom. But where was she?

"Where am I?" she repeated aloud, wondrously. Had she come in this way, or that?

"You're in the Cloister, Tegan," the sentence came like a whispered breath against her neck, as Tegan spun in alarm. But she knew who it was.

It was the Doctor.


	3. Chapter 3

The Darkness Within

* * *

The Doctor watched Tegan as he appeared from behind a column. In the dim light of the Cloister, she gleamed as though moonlight was welling through her alabaster skin. The folds of her white nightgown clung to the curves of her body, her dark hair shining. He walked forward, hands in his pockets, coatless and jumperless. He looked….different.

His long blonde hair was ruffled, as though he'd been continuously running his fingers through it. It looked remarkably becoming on him. His eyes shone with that pale fire she'd seen before, when he was confronting an enemy, or rushing around destroying evil. Except now that fire was directed at her, and her alone. It was doing odd things to the solidity of her spine.

"Doctor, are you alright? I thought you were resting," Tegan said hesitantly. His smile dawned, but it was a smile she had never seen before. It was seductive and arrogant, a side of him she had never seen before. Tegan unconsciously backed away.

"Oh Tegan. I've never felt better," he replied coolly, stalking toward her with the grace of a jungle panther, that seductive smile still on his lips. Tegan felt the cool stone behind her back, and stopped, realising she'd let herself be herded into a corner. But why was the Doctor doing this?

"Doctor….?"

"Do you know how lovely you look, Tegan? Standing there like some Greek goddess out of legend. Designed to be worshipped," he continued, crowding her back into the column.

"Doctor, what's wrong? This isn't like you at all," Tegan whispered, fighting the shivers running over her body.

"Wrong? Why would anything be wrong, my dear?" he whispered, one arm resting on the stone above her head, letting her know very clearly that she wasn't going anywhere. His breath fanned over her face, his eyes boring into hers. His other hand rose to just run his fingers along the line of her jaw, his thumb brushing over the swell of her lower lip. "Just take a compliment, my dear,"

Tegan belatedly noticed how close his body was to hers, the shirt with the ridiculous question marks on his collar draping the toned musculature of his torso. She felt an itch in her palms to touch him, that strange desire welling up again. She bit her lip, wondering how to snap the Doctor out of this silliness, and get back to her room. Maybe a good slap would wake him up?

* * *

"Tegan…." His head, already so close to hers, bent and she felt the cool lips brush over her pulse, nuzzling down the line of her neck. Tegan gasped and swayed into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed. The nuzzling turned to open-mouthed kisses up her neck, as her neck tipped back, allowing the Doctor greater access to her skin. He gently kissed the tender spot at the corner of her jaw, and she shivered visibly. A second later, she felt his cool breath on her lips. She opened her eyes, and saw him, their lips only inches away from touching. Feeling a flare of panic, she turned her head aside and slipped under his arm.

"Doctor, what's wrong with you? Did that knock on the head drive you insane?" she demanded belligerently, her voice rising, a reflection of the combined panic and anger she felt. Why was the Doctor tormenting her like this?

"No. This is all because of you, Tegan," he growled, and she saw the flames in his eyes, mixed with the poisonous green she remembered from the console room. But it faded before she could look properly, so she wasn't sure she had seen it. Feeling as though her feet had been paralysed, like a bird before a snake when it decides to strike, she turned her back. It was a feeling she had never associated before with the Doctor. The Master maybe, but not the Doctor.

She felt him step close behind her, and she felt the cool of his body reaching for her, his strength enveloping her. One hand twined itself around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. Tegan relaxed against him, arching her neck back, the linen of his shirt rasping against her bare skin. His other hand drifted over her shoulder, and down, taking the strap of Tegan's nightgown with it, his lips following the line of her shoulders and neck, his hand palm flat against her skin, sliding between the silky material of her nightgown and her skin. Tegan gasped and swayed, as the Doctor's fingers played with her skin, torturing the raw nerve endings, as her breast swelled against his hand. The hand supporting her waist rose to her neck, tipping her head up, as his lips explored her neck. He gently tugged at her earlobe with his teeth, and Tegan shuddered. The cool air trembled over her partially exposed skin, but it was nothing to the fire that the chill of the Doctor's skin on hers was evoking. She let her head fall back, and gave herself up to the fire in her veins. She couldn't do anything else.

* * *

The Doctor tilted her face around, and their lips met. Tegan could almost feel her lips bruised by the intensity, the urgency, one she fully reciprocated. It was almost felt like they were arguing, as they did so much, through their lips, through their bodies. His hands left her body, to slide around her waist, turning her around, pulling her hard against him, leaving her completely breathless. One to the Doctor, Tegan nil.

Tegan grabbed him and kissed him back, her mind still puzzling over the odd change in his behaviour. Could this be because of the black light ray he'd been hit with? Could it….?

A sudden burst of pleasure and a feeling of weightlessness assailed Tegan, stripping away any vestige of conscious thought. The Doctor had lifted her and draped her legs around his waist, crushing her back against the stone column. Tegan gasped in pain and looked down at the Doctor. She stroked his dishevelled blonde locks away from his face, relishing the silkiness of it. The Doctor turned his head to place a kiss into the palm of her hand, before his flaming blue eyes returned to hers.

"Doctor, something's not right. I know this isn't y-" Tegan began but the Doctor cut her with another aggressively ardent kiss, leaving her no breath for thought. When he finally deigned to release her, his arrogantly seductive grin was back.

"Of all the ways I thought to shut you up, Tegan, I never dreamed this up," he murmured against her lips. Tegan glared at him, but he kissed her again before she could open her mouth. Her hands buried themselves in his hair, as one hand left her waist to rise to her face, caressing the planes of her face, before sliding into her hair. His mouth left hers to slide down her neck. She finally found enough breath to murmur hoarsely.

"Cripes, Doctor. You've gone nuts!"

A second later, Tegan found herself flat on her back, on a bed, in what must have been the Doctor's room. As he laid her among his rumpled bed sheets, the Doctor raised a supercilious brow.

"That's debatable. Particularly coming from you, Tegan," he growled, before he stole another kiss, his hands leaving her waist to slip the straps of her nightgown down her arms. Tegan frowned at that. He wasn't usually so…..so unsubtly nasty. He could be insinuatingly nasty, but not always so brash. But the thought was driven from her mind by his lips on her bare skin. Tegan exhaled on a shuddering breath. Her eyes locked with the Doctor's, as he raised his head. He shifted to come over her, his face looking down directly into hers. His brow furrowed, and for a moment, his eyes glowed green.

"You're still thinking. Stop it, stop thinking and stop resisting me, Tegan," he growled, one eyebrow raised arrogantly. Tegan opened her mouth, and he swooped, kissing all she meant to say from her lips. The final thought in her beleaguered brain, before need, desire and passion ripped her wits from her, was that the Doctor definitely wasn't himself.

* * *

Twelve hours later, the Doctor stirred sleepily. Time Lords didn't usually sleep, except during their regeneration cycle, or if they wished to. But he felt a pleasant languor in his limbs, a warm weight against his side. He drifted in haze for a moment, the pain and loss of control of the day before forgotten. But then the warm weight by his side shifted, murmuring, and his head snapped sideways. Tegan lay by his side, her hand splayed over his hearts, sleeping in the circle of his arms. Memories flooded back; the loss of control, the unleashing of his darkest side. Thank goodness it had been restrained within the Tardis. But poor Tegan had borne the brunt of his dark side, that seductive creature that had followed her to the Cloister and let his desire rule his head. The voice, or being in his head that had overruled his reason, used his attraction to Tegan. And now anger so fiery rose up within him, that the creature should have used him and Tegan so. It had left him. He would find it and ensure it could never harm anyone again. He knew what it was now. And he would not rest until it was gone forever.

* * *

Tegan stirred beside the cool body still holding hers. Memories of that night swamped her mind, and she shivered. His hand shifted on her arm, and she looked up, into blue eyes so full of fury, she recoiled. His hearts beat a staccato rhythm beneath her hand.

"Doctor?" she whispered. What was wrong? She began to rise, gathering the sheets around herself, fear and regret filling the void that had been filled with warmth and contentment.

The Doctor saw the fear in her eyes, and realised she thought he was angry at _her_. If anyone had the right to be angry, it was her at him. He reached out a comforting hand, and stroked her cheek. She leaned into his touch, and he was surprised by the rush of pure desire that flared through him.

"Brave heart, Tegan," he whispered.

"But y-you look so furious, Doctor," Tegan stuttered, already trying to scoot out of his arms, to where her nightgown was discarded on the floor. He hauled her closer to him, shaking his head fondly.

"Tegan I am not angry at you, rather at myself. And at the thing which has preyed upon us!" he explained. Tegan's brow creased in confusion. "Tegan, I was possessed by some kind of organism, when I was struck by the black light energy. The artefact was some kind of inter-dimensional temporal-spatial prison, and my touch set whatever it held free."

"So you were possessed? You didn't know what you were doing?" Tegan asked, feeling embarrassment flush her skin. What had she done? "That explains your behaviour, both to me and Nyssa,"

"Yes….about that. Ummm, I feel I owe you an apology-"

"Doctor, we've got an alien to track down, if it's still in the Tardis. We can talk later," she said briskly, avoiding the subject altogether. She didn't want to hear his apologies, or the pity she would see in his eyes. Her heart couldn't deal with that at the moment. She fought not to look at him, as she slipped off the bed, keeping the sheets around her body whilst she slipped into her nightgown. The Doctor sighed.

"Tegan…."

"Come on, Doctor," she threw his shirt at him, still not looking at him. His eyes narrowed.

"Tegan!" he snapped, a brisk tone that had once been known to halt Daleks in their tracks. But it had no discernible effect on Tegan, as she swept out of the room, still not looking at him. Cursing under his breath, the Doctor quickly dressed and followed Tegan from the room.

* * *

In the console room, Adric checked the position of the Tardis in the vortex. Fiddling with a few buttons to ensure they remained steady, he looked up to see Nyssa watching him intently. There was something odd about her gaze.

"Good morning, Nyssa. Have you seen the Doctor or Tegan this morning?" he asked. For one moment, he thought he saw Nyssa's eyes flare a poisonous green, before she smiled, and came to join him at the console.

"No. I fancy we won't be seeing them for a little while. Why?" Nyssa asked, her eyes flying to his face.

"Oh, I-I just wanted to get started on repairing the Tardis. I hope the Doctor's recovered from yesterday," Adric replied, as Nyssa moved closer. She smiled coyly and leaned close to him.

"But you could repair the Tardis, couldn't you, Adric? You don't need the Doctor," she whispered, a flirtatious smile dawning on her face. "You could repair it so we can get away from here,"

Now Adric really knew something was up.

"Nyssa….." he began, already moving away from her. Had the black energy affected her too?

"Adric, get away from Nyssa!" Tegan's voice pulled him back to reality, and he obeyed. Then he noticed what Tegan was wearing. She still wore her nightgown, a robe hastily belted over the top. The Doctor rushed in behind her, fully clothed, worry emanating from him like a perfume. To his surprise Nyssa hissed at the sight of them, a small smirk forming on her youthful features.

"Doctor, what is it?" Adric asked.

"Nyssa is not what she seems. She's possessed!" the Doctor yanked Adric away. Nyssa drew herself up to her full height, like a cobra about to strike, her eyes flaring green.

"Fools," she sneered. She exhaled on a breath, and Nyssa slumped against the wall, a hand to her temple.

"Doctor?" she asked weakly. The Doctor rushed to her, Tegan close behind him. The Doctor checked her eyes, looking for the flare of green, before Tegan distracted him with a shout.

"Adric!"

The Doctor whirled.

Adric was at the console, flicking switches and setting co-ordinates with an alien speed and dexterity he did not possess, a malevolent grin on his normally pleasant features. He lunged at Adric, ripping him away from the console, as the Tardis juddered, the rotor wheezed, and the console room tilted. Nyssa and Tegan flew into the opposite wall, whilst the Doctor hung onto the console. He quickly stabilised the Tardis and the world righted itself again. Adric, his teeth bared in a feral snarl, lunged at him, but he held him easily. Sure enough, the boy's eyes flared bright green.

"Who are you?" the Doctor snarled, locked in a wrestling match with the boy, his teenage strength nothing against the Doctor's athletic muscles.

"I will return to my homeworld," Adric, or the alien possessing him, growled.

"Your homeworld is no more. It was swallowed up by a black hole," the Doctor replied. "Now leave this body!"

The alien watched him warily, calculatingly, and the Doctor shook his head.

"Don't even think about it! You could not control me last time, and that will not change," he hissed.

"Then if I cannot have my homeworld, or you, I will take another!" the alien snarled, the eye flaring green again as it travelled to Tegan, stirring against the wall. The Doctor followed his gaze.

"No!"

But it was too late. The alien exhaled, and this time the Doctor could see a thin black mist released from his mouth, as it travelled to Tegan. He released Adric, and scrambled over to Tegan. The alien entered her, and for a moment, the Doctor looked into her frightened brown eyes, as the alien took control. Her body collapsed, and began to spasm, the Doctor holding her down by her wrists, grimly ignoring the body pressing against his. How he could even think about that, at a time like this? It was a sign of the alien's influence.

* * *

Tegan stilled beneath him. He looked down on her, breathing harshly, as Adric and Nyssa stirred.

"Doctor?" identical questions sounded from both their mouths, as they came up beside him.

"The alien?" Nyssa asked.

"It's gone into Tegan," he said abruptly, his voice a harsh croak. Hadn't she already been through enough with the Mara? Suddenly he felt movement beneath him, and he looked down.

"What, Doctor? Looking for an encore?" Tegan snapped back to consciousness, her acerbic comment, or rather the alien's comment, sending waves of anger through him.

"Who are you?" he asked again, his hands imprisoning her wrists. "Name yourself!"

The alien just smiled up at him mockingly. "Answer me!"

The alien still remained silent.

"Don't play with me, alien! You've just possessed someone I care for, and that is not a safe place to stand! Name yourself!" this last was said in such a commanding, rage-filled shout, that even Nyssa and Adric flinched.

"Persephone."

The Doctor blanched. "The Destroyer of Men."

* * *

Persephone sat on Tegan's bed, the Doctor leaning against the locked door. He had confined her in the room Tegan and Nyssa shared, until he could find a way of expelling her from Tegan's mind. The creature regarded him haughtily, through eyes that only reminded him more of Tegan.

"What do you want, Persephone?" he finally asked, the tense silence spiralling uncomfortably.

"To live."

"What does that mean? This isn't living," the Doctor retorted.

"Oh but it is. All the sensations I have experienced through you, through this pitiful excuse for an organism. Oh the incredible feelings and emotions. My people never set much store by them, but now I can see the worth of such things. The pleasure of it. It was an interesting experiment, after so many centuries imprisoned," Persephone continued.

"Your people? Who were they?" the Doctor asked.

"The Hadeans? A dusty race of men who dominated the females, until I rose up. I rose and destroyed them. After a millennia, the survivors cast me down, but now I shall have my revenge and begin my life anew," Persephone replied.

"What's the point?" the Doctor asked, fighting to conceal his disgust. It was always the same old story.

"I do not….understand."

"What's the point?"

"I do not understand your question, Time Lord,"

"What's the point? Your world is gone; those who imprisoned you long dead. What do you hope to gain by continuing this….existence?" the Doctor said passionately.

"Oh, my dear Doctor, I will gain a new life. Reduced to my ephemeral form I may jump from body to body. I need never die. It will not be long before this one belongs solely to me," Persephone answered, one eyebrow raised superciliously. The Doctor reined in his anger.

"That body belongs to another. I won't let you destroy her just so you can preserve your own miserable existence!"

"Ahh yes," Persephone continued, "the Earth woman. Your feelings for her are strong; I may not have been able to control you fully Doctor, but it was not hard to influence you in the right direction. And I can feel the reciprocal one coursing through her pathetic mind right now. It is very tiring, but a perfect distraction" the alien looked down at her, at Tegan's nails, affecting a weary huff.

"So that is why you used us! A distraction!" the Doctor mused, keeping a lid on his temper.

"I needed to leave you, but I could only do that by using your emotions against you, so your hold over me was loosened. And this was the perfect receptacle for your 'attentions'. There's so much darkness in your soul, Doctor, I'm surprised you haven't done this before!" Persephone smirked, her tone cold and callous.

"You will leave that body. Get out!" the Doctor's temper snapped, and he strode towards her, anger coursing through him.

"Now, now that's no way to treat a lady," Persephone replied callously.

"Give her back to me!" the Doctor continued, his voice cold and like steel. "You will not have her!"

"Oh won't I? Doctor, Doctor, Doctor…." Persephone said liltingly, abandoning her perusal of Tegan's fingernails to look up at the Doctor through long lashes. The Doctor realised her robe had fallen open, giving him a very good view of the soft skin he had caressed last night. She tilted her head up, and her lips were on his before the Doctor could react. All he could see was the burning lust in his veins, as they fell back onto the bed. For a moment he responded to the ardency in their embrace, before his brain kicked in.

"No!" he wrested his lips free, his voice breathless and husky, as he retrieved her hands from his hair and shirt, and pinned them either side of her head. "You're not Tegan. You may be in her body, but you are not her,"

"No, I'm just channelling all her pathetic human feelings. It's extremely tedious inside her head, I can tell you," Persephone snorted.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, his brow furrowing.

"I mean this would be impossible if this….woman did not feel such an attraction to you. I cannot feel myself, only what she can feel. Or you," she added with an evil smile, her eyes flaring green. The Doctor released her wrists and stood, fixing the sleeves of his cricket jacket.

"You used us and I promise you, you will not have her!" he snarled, before he turned tail and went to walk out of the door. A sudden gasp from Persephone had him turning back.

* * *

She was doubled over in pain on the bed, panting, her head in her hands.

"Doctor…."she forced out through gritted teeth. Her eyes rose to his, but there was no flare of green this time.

"Tegan?" he asked cautiously, searching her eyes intently. He would know if Persephone was tricking him.

Tegan didn't answer, but he saw her eyes and knew that, somehow, she had broken Persephone's control over her.

"Tegan, fight it! You can do it!" he said, bouncing back across the room to her, taking her hands in his. She collapsed into him, and he held her.

"Doctor, I can't hold her…." she forced out. The Doctor looked down at Tegan in his arms, saw the pain in her face, and felt such agony that this should come to pass.

"Tegan…" he murmured, tipping her chin up so she looked at him. His hands went to both sides of her face, holding her steady, as he gently pressed his lips to hers. She clung to the contact, as he slowly entered her mind.

* * *

The landscape of Tegan's mind was like a flickering thunderstorm, one moment comprising of stone battlements and steel ramparts, the next a dead plain. But the Doctor felt as though it were just waiting to be brought back to life. The shadow that represented Persephone was locked in combat with a lighter one he guessed was Tegan. Gathering his mental power, he dove into the battle, to subdue Persephone so they could work out a solution. Slowly the malevolent presence in her mind was confined, as together, they constructed a cage to hold her, trapped somewhere in the hypothalamus until they could remove her permanently.

Tegan slowly came to, still wrapped in the Doctor's arms, their lips still pressed together. He gently disengaged from her mouth, still holding her limp body in his arms, his blue eyes searching hers intently. "Thank you, Doctor," she smiled weakly.

"It's only temporary. Persephone is too strong to expel or contain for long," he said ruefully.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked, content to rest in his arms. She felt so weak.

"I have an idea. Brave heart, Tegan," he said, whilst gently laying her back down on the bed.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Tegan inquired wearily, an eyebrow raised sarcastically.

"I need to speak to Adric. I'll have Nyssa come and sit with you, just in case Persephone begins to take over again. I will make this right, Tegan," he promised her solemnly, looking into her eyes. She could see such a profound regret and anger in his eyes, that instantly made her want to comfort him.

"Doctor, this is not your fault. Whatever happens, remember that," she pleaded with him, squeezing his hand. He clung to her fingers for a minute, before he turned and left, the door closing softly behind him.

Outside, in the corridor, the Doctor's fist clenched. He wouldn't rest until that haunted look in Tegan's eyes was eradicated forever. He vowed it.


	4. Chapter 4

The Darkness Within

* * *

"Adric!"

Adric turned around at the Doctor's shout, leaving the console.

"Doctor? How is Tegan?" he asked, as the Doctor rushed into the room and instantly ducked beneath the console, ripping a panel from the grey mushroom's base.

"She's…..well, she's as well as can be expected. Nyssa is staying with her until I can find a way to get that thing out of her," the Doctor replied, his tone showing how worried and stressed he was.

"What are you going to do?" Adric asked, his worry for his friend only equal to the Doctor's.

"Well….I'm still thinking," the Doctor snapped. He glanced up at Adric and sighed. "I'm sorry, Adric. It's just-I'm just….."

"Worried for Tegan? We all are, Doctor," Adric said softly, understanding in his eyes. "Talk to me, Doctor. It might help,"

"Yes. Yes. Well this Persephone is an ephemeral being, one that can transfer from body to body, taking over their brains. Except for me. Now Tegan's been able to regain some control, but even with my help, we can't do more than temporarily imprison Persephone within Tegan's mind. So we need to expel her permanently," he explained.

"But what does she want?"

"To live. If we don't free Tegan within a few hours, then her personality will die and Persephone's will dominate her body,"

"But can that be done? Just delete a consciousness in a body like you would a computer file?" Adric asked, confusedly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. A body cannot house more than one consciousness at a time, so one has to go. Usually the weakest," the Doctor added grimly.

"But Tegan's hardly weak, Doctor!" the boy said. The very thought of a weak Tegan was ludicrous.

"Yes, I know. And that allowed her to regain control but not for long. Tegan's only human, and this Persephone will continue to wear down her mental defences until Tegan is forced to give in. And when that happens, she'll die," the Time Lord sighed, rubbing his cheek tiredly. "Persephone will not release Tegan freely. She must be forced out."

"But how? You said it yourself she's too strong, even for you and Tegan combined, to drive out by force," Adric remarked, trying to think desperately of a solution.

"Unless…."

"Unless?" Adric prompted. The Doctor emerged from under the console with a grim expression.

"Unless the alien were to think Tegan's body no longer an acceptable vessel."

"But how would you do that?" Adric asked, frowning, trying to push away the suspicion that he was not going to like whatever solution the Doctor was cooking up. And by the look on the Doctor's face, he didn't like it either.

"When a body is no longer alive, then the consciousness fades from it. Death, in other words," the Doctor explained further.

"I don't understand what that has to do with Tegan…" his voice trailed off. Realisation came in a horrifying rush. "Doctor, you can't!"

The Doctor stood in a furious show of restrained power, and gripped Adric's shoulders roughly. "Do you think I haven't considered every alternative? Do you think I would dare do this if I had any other way? I….I care about Tegan too much to let this happen to her. Adric, trust me, this is the only way,"

"How?" Adric said weakly, averting his eyes. The Doctor released his shoulders and turned back to the console.

"A ray of Myron radiation should shut Tegan's body down long enough for Persephone to leave her. Then we'll trap her consciousness in one of these," the Doctor led the way out the console room, and down the corridor to one of the many storage rooms. He instantly began throwing open drawers and old-fashioned wooden chests in a frenzy.

"You know, Adric, I'll have to make an inventory of the Tardis storage rooms when this is over," he tossed over his shoulder to the silent teenager. Adric shrugged.

"If this is over," he repeated sullenly. He didn't approve of the Doctor's plan one bit.

"Adric, positive thinking is key to success. Your negative thoughts are not helping," the Doctor retorted impatiently.

"Positive thinking? Doctor you're planning to kill Tegan, and you're acting like you couldn't care less!" Adric exploded furiously. The Doctor straightened from the chest he was searching, his youthful face darkened with fury, as his suddenly cold blue eyes flickered with a chill fire. He held a Perspex orb in his hand.

"Adric," he began in a cool, calmly controlled voice that belied his anger, "Right now it is taking all my control to concentrate, and you are not helping! Do you think I am comfortable with the idea of killing someone I…." he trailed off abruptly. Adric saw it, and his eyes narrowed.

"Someone you what? What, Doctor?" he asked, noting that the Doctor was flushed and his breathing shallow. His eyes were averted.

"If I time this right, Tegan will only be dead a few minutes. The time limit is four; plenty of time for me to resuscitate her," he said hastily, already ducking around Adric and scurrying back to the console room. Adric followed with an impatient huff.

"No!" Nyssa's shout was horrified, as she stared wild-eyed at the Doctor. "Doctor, you can't!"

"Nyssa, this is the only option and time is running out!" the Doctor retorted furiously. He had just told Nyssa his plan, and predictably she was not happy. They were outside Tegan's room, in the Tardis corridor.

"But, Doctor, you're talking about killing Tegan! What if you can't resuscitate her in time, what if she dies?" Nyssa asked angrily.

"Nyssa, if I don't do this, she'll die anyway!"

* * *

"'She' has a name, y'know," Tegan's acerbic tone came from within the bedroom. She stumbled to the door, and the Doctor could see how much of a toll it was taking on her.

"Tegan, you should go back to bed….." the Doctor started concernedly, but she cut him off.

"Doctor, just tell me," her eyes fluttered shut, a spasm of pain crossing her face, "Please."

The Doctor took a deep breath, praying that she wouldn't go too berserk. He fully accepted her right to go berserk; but just not too…..his mind was wandering.

"I have a plan, to expel Persephone, but it is….well, it's very dangerous. For you, I mean," he mumbled, his eyes averted.

"Why can't you tell me?" she asked, frowning.

"Just in case Persephone can read the surface thoughts," the Doctor explained. Tegan nodded, her deep brown eyes searching his blue ones. Her chin rose, her jaw firming.

"So do it." Tegan whispered. Nyssa and the Doctor stared at her.

"Tegan, you can't! You don't even know what the Doctor- You don't know- This is insane, Tegan!" Nyssa spluttered, her eyes wide. Tegan ignored her, keeping her eyes on the Doctor.

"I trust you. Do it," Tegan whispered again, smiling softly. If it weren't for Nyssa, the Doctor would've pulled Tegan into his arms. He felt her implicit trust like a physical brand, making his hearts seize.

"Nyssa, I need to speak to Tegan alone for a minute," the Doctor said suddenly. Nyssa looked doubtful. "Nyssa, now," he added curtly. Nyssa turned and strode to the console room. Tegan looked at the Doctor curiously, before she moved back to let him in the room. He closed the door behind him, as she walked back to the bed.

"What is it, Doc?" she asked.

"Thank you, for trusting me, Tegan. I-" the Doctor began, but Tegan interrupted him.

"It's ok, Doctor. You don't have to say anything. Just do it," she said, her back to him. Her voice was suspiciously wobbly.

"Tegan? Are you alright?" the Doctor asked, as he crossed the room towards her. Her shoulders were shaking as he reached her. He sighed and reached out to her.

Tegan started when she felt his hands curl around her upper arms, his cool skin warming to her own. He drew her backwards into his arms, leaning his cheek on her hair. She tried to fight back the tears, but she was so tired. So, so tired.

"Tegan?" the Doctor's voice cut through her exhaustion. He turned her in his arms, and sighed when he saw her struggle to avoid crying in front of him. "Tegan. Now what's the matter?"

"I'm….I'm just scared, Doctor," she whispered, looking down ashamedly.

"You? Scared? Perish the thought!" the Doctor cried, trying to elicit a smile from her. When it came, it was so wan and forced, he could only murmur, "Brave heart, Tegan. I promise you, I will not let this thing win. Trust me,"

"I do. With my life," Tegan whispered, resting her head on his lapel. She had a sinking feeling she would be doing just that.

"That's my brave heart," he said again, his hand gently stroking her hair, cradling the curve of her skull beneath his palm.

* * *

In the console room, the Doctor and Adric constructed the device which would channel the Myron radiation. Nyssa sat with Tegan, eying the door apprehensively. Tegan lay on the bed, her face to the wall, slumbering fretfully. For once the Tardis was silent, as the quiet before the storm. Suddenly Tegan sat up, her head in her hands.

"Rabbits! I can't stand it any longer!" she cried out. Nyssa jumped at the movement. She rushed over to her friend.

"Tegan, what is it?" she asked concernedly, worried for her roommate. What if Persephone was taking over again?

"Nyssa, you're my friend aren't you?" she asked, looking at the Trakenite from beneath her lashes.

"Yes, Tegan, I am. What's troubling you?" she took Tegan's hand. It was ice cold beneath her warmer fingers.

"Please, Nyssa, tell what the Doctor's plan is. I know you know; please tell me," she asked, her tone heartbreaking. Nyssa felt herself waver, despite the Doctor's strict instructions that she could not let Tegan know of their plan, lest Persephone should access the surface thoughts.

"Tegan, I…..I can't. The Doctor doesn't want to take the risk of alerting Persephone," she sighed. Tegan's expression became earnest.

"But I am in full control, Nyssa. Persephone can't hear anything, its safe, Nyssa, please," she begged, clasping Nyssa's hands in a grip of iron with both of her own. Nyssa felt a shiver down her spine. Something wasn't right. She looked deep into Tegan's eyes, waiting for the telltale flash of green, but it did not come. But her friend's face was flushed, her cheeks pink, her eyes glittering. Something wasn't right.

"Tegan, I-I can't. I'm sorry," she whispered, pulling her hand from Tegan's, and getting off the bed. She turned to the door, and heard a snarl behind her.

"Fool,"

Blackness claimed Nyssa as an impact blasted away the world.

* * *

"Nyssa? It's time," Adric came to the door of the girls' bedroom and knocked once. There was no answer. "Nyssa? Tegan?"

Adric walked in, and found Nyssa sprawled over the floor, blood leaking from a wound nestled amongst her brown curls, limbs skew and skin pale, an Earth object lying on the floor beside her. "Oh, no, Nyssa! Doctor!" he yelled, already kneeling down by her head. He felt frantically for her pulse, and found it strong beneath his fingers. The Doctor came pounding into the corridor, a strange gun-like contraption clutched in his hand, hair dishevelled and flying wild.

"Adric! What is it? Where's- oh," the Doctor skidded to a halt. "Oh no."

"Doctor, is-is she alright?" Adric asked, tearing his eyes from his stricken friend to look beseechingly up at the Doctor. The Doctor hunkered down, and quickly examined the wound, checking her pulse.

"She'll be fine; it's only a flesh wound. She'll wake up in a few minutes," he said, with a sigh, running his hand through his already mussed hair.

"But who-?" Adric began to ask.

"Tegan. Or rather Persephone," the Doctor interrupted, standing up.

"She's taken control again?"

"Yes. She's still on the Tardis, somewhere. I need to find her. Tegan's not got long left. Right, Adric," he looked to Adric. "I need you to stay with Nyssa. She'll wake up soon, whilst I find Tegan; I need you to be ready with the storage orb. It'll hold Persephone's consciousness indefinitely. Now," he held it up, dragging it from his overloaded pocket, "you have to open it using mental power, so it needs you and Nyssa combined. When I find Tegan, I'll take her to the Cloister room. Meet us there, got that?"

Adric nodded once as the Doctor leapt to his feet and bounded off in search of Tegan. Nyssa stirred, groaning.

The Doctor felt panic clutch at his hearts as he raced down the corridors. He had no idea where Persephone would go to hide but he was pretty sure she wouldn't try a break for the console room. He suddenly saw a flash of white ahead, and picked up his pace.

"Tegan! Tegan, stop!" he shouted, racing around the corner, just in time to see Tegan, or rather Persephone, sprint down the right turn in a fork. He saw the sudden change of colour in the walls, and knew they were nearing the Cloister. He sped up, thanking Rassilon for his Time Lord stamina, and spotted a white shadow diving behind a pillar. "Tegan, get back control!"

"Doctor, it is too late! The Earth woman is gone!" Persephone yelled back, "You have failed, Time Lord!"

"You would only be saying that if there was a chance Tegan is still alive in there. You're growing desperate!" the Doctor retorted. Tegan was too strong to die so quickly.

"She's mine, Time Lord!"

The Doctor saw a slight breeze from somewhere lift the hem of a white nightgown, and realised she was behind the next pillar. He stopped his slow walk, and calmed his breathing until it was silent once more. On the other side of him, he saw Adric and Nyssa come running up, the storage orb clutched close in Adric's hand. Nyssa was pale but awake, her eyes lucid and bright. They halted, and shrank against the wall. The Doctor nodded at them, putting a finger to his lips. They nodded back in unison, as the Doctor crept around the pillar, keeping to the shadows.

"So what's your plan, hm? Even if you evade us until Tegan is dead, how do you hope to get off this ship? What's your escape plan?" the Doctor called tauntingly.

"I've been inside your head, Doctor. I know you won't kill me in revenge for killing the Earth woman. You'll…..let me…..go," she called back, a new strain in her voice. The Doctor felt a surge of hope that Tegan could fight back.

"You obviously didn't look too deep within me, Persephone. Or not deep enough," the Doctor tutted, as though disappointed.

"I didn't need to. So much darkness in one man, darkness that would swallow up the Universe if you let it. Oh I wonder how your companions, your little Earth girl, so very far from home, how they would react, if they could see the true you? My people were nothing next to you, Doctor," Persephone continued. The Doctor stiffened, controlling his anger, before he slid out from behind his pillar. From the shadow on the wall, he could see she was facing away from him, pressed against the pillar.

"No, I don't imagine they were," he said simply, quietly. He moved as quickly as lightning, swinging around the pillar, and grabbing Tegan's arm.

"Because you know why? You set something free in me the night you took my control; and even though I wrested it back, it's still far too easy to set free. And that is exactly what will happen if you don't set Tegan free!" he snarled, yanking Persephone to face him. She tried to struggle, but his death-grip on her arm stopped her.

"You won't kill me, not if it means killing her!" Persephone screamed, fighting to break free.

"No, I will take that risk, because I know Tegan can hear me. And I believe in her, my brave heart. She won't let you win," the Doctor replied. Adric and Nyssa ran out at that moment, and stood ready with the orb. Tegan's beautiful brown eyes flared green, and the Doctor hardened himself. He had to do this; he had to set Tegan free. He pulled the trigger.

A deafening scream filled the room, as the Myron radiation sheared into Tegan's body, shutting the heart down abruptly, it was so lethal. Her body collapsed, and the Doctor bent to catch her, dropping the contraption that had effectively killed Tegan.

"Adric! Nyssa! Ready with that orb?" he shouted, counting in his head. He had four minutes, four minutes between heart failure and brain death, in which to resuscitate her. From Tegan's open mouth came a black mist, and he felt that same cloying presence try to infect him again, but he would not let it.

"You will not take me, or Nyssa, or Adric," he growled mentally. "Nyssa, Adric get that orb open!"

"We're trying, Doctor!" they both shouted. Nyssa suddenly appeared at his shoulder, the orb open, the innards glowing with a gleaming blue light. The black mist that was Persephone swirled and grew, like a malevolent column of ebony on the dry Cloister air. He took the orb from Nyssa and held it out, adding his own mental energy to the power charged up from Nyssa and Adric.

"You will never harm another living soul again," he said, activating the orb with a flick of his mind. The mist swirled, emitting a high scream, as the combined power sucked Persephone's essence into the prison. The Doctor felt the drain on his power, fighting to remain in control long enough to trap the alien. Sweat appeared on his forehead, as warm fingers covered his on the orb, Adric's and Nyssa's hands. Together, their minds working as one, they closed the prison. Persephone was gone.

"Is it over?" Adric whispered hoarsely, as with a snap and a flash of green, the orb closed, cutting off the high-pitched wail. The Doctor dropped the orb, panting, mentally and physically exhausted.

"It's over."

* * *

"Doctor! Tegan!" Nyssa's shout had him alert in a flash. He'd nearly forgotten her. He fell to his knees, rolling Tegan over so he could reach her mouth and chest.

"Nyssa, I want you to make this shape with your fists, yes that's it. Now place them on her sternum, just above her heart and press down for a second and repeat fifteen times. Then wait, and repeat. This should get the heart going again,"

Nyssa began the chest compressions, whilst the Doctor gently parted Tegan's lips. When Nyssa paused, as the Doctor instructed, he set his mouth to hers and breathed air back into her body, inflating her lungs. Tegan's body lay cold and unresponsive under their efforts. Adric kept his fingers on her carotid artery, searching for a pulse. The four minutes were nearly up.

"Doctor…."

"No, I have to save her," the Doctor refused to concede defeat. He had got her into this, he had to save her. He would die for her. But the feel of her cold lips under his was contrary to what every instinct told him was real. She was dead. He'd killed Tegan.

"Doctor….." he felt warm hands curve over his shoulder, but he shook them off. He refused to give in. He was the Doctor, for Rassilon's sake, he wouldn't let her die!

Nyssa and Adric watched, as the Doctor worked over Tegan, refusing to let her go, refusing to admit her heart had stopped beating and wasn't about to start again. Tears trickled down both their cheeks; watching their friend battle to save another, one they all cared about. They knew it was too late.

The reality cut through the Doctor like a cold breeze. She was dead. Tegan was dead and nothing he could do would bring her back.

"Tegan….Tegan I'm so sorry," he whispered against her lips. He remembered his first sight of her, the night Persephone had overridden his control. The truth he had discovered within himself. Looking down on her, on the lashes dark against her cheek, the pale skin, the still-rosy lips, cold with death, the hair like satin beneath his fingers. A single tear crept down his cheek as he bent his head, and kissed Tegan, his hands framing her face, sharing his breath with her. It was the only thing he could do for her now. Only in death could he let his true feelings free.

Adric bent his head, feeling a sense of shame at witnessing a Time Lord's grief. Now he knew what the Doctor had meant, what he had so nearly let slip. But he suddenly felt a slight throb beneath his fingers. He frowned, looking up. There it was again, a distinct double-throb, one after the other.

"Nyssa…." he whispered. Nyssa looked to him, tears tracking down her young face.

"What is it?" she asked brokenly, the Doctor still cradling Tegan in his arms, stroking her face.

"Feel that," he took her hand and held it against Tegan's carotid artery. She gasped.

"Doctor….Doctor!" she called, jolting him out of his memories of Tegan. The sadness in his sapphire eyes was like a physical presence. "She's alive, Doctor."

"What?" he asked, his brain so caught up in sorrow and pain like a burning iron, that he didn't register Nyssa's soft voice. in answer, Nyssa took his hand and held it against Tegan's weak pulse.

"She's alive, Doctor."


	5. Chapter 5

The Darkness Within

* * *

Tegan was floating. Her mind drifted in an eternal sea of blackness. She felt nothing, just drifted. It was a pleasant sensation; peaceful. Here she need do nothing but exist.

It was so tempting to stay there, but a voice was calling her back. The black tide ebbed and flowed around her, trying to suck her deeper, keep her in the numbness, but that voice. It was too strong to resist.

_Tegan…?_

Tegan moaned and humphed, as she was brought back to her body. Slowly aches and pains erupted all over her body, and her head throbbed. Her awareness grew, so that eventually, she was conscious of being held in someone's arms, smooth material chafing against her sweaty skin, the feel of cool linen sheets over her weary limbs. She fought to open her heavy lids, feeling like some sort of crust covered her eyes, wincing as the harsh light grated on her headache. The ceiling above wavered and shook in her hazy vision, her brow furrowed. Where was she?

A cold hand pressed against her pallid forehead. She tried to shrink away from the cool rock-like skin, but she was too weak.

"Rest now, Tegan. Rest, brave heart," said a voice in her ear, and her eyes flew to its face. A pleasant face, long blonde hair framing sapphire eyes and boyish good looks. A familiar face. A sense of comfort emanated from the hand on her temple, and she felt herself slipping into sleep, the headache pulsing behind her lids fading. She was aware of only one last thing before she succumbed to sleep.

"You're safe now."

* * *

The Doctor sat beside Tegan's bedside, refusing to leave it. Adric had set them down on a deserted planet so Tegan could recover, whilst he and Nyssa stood watch over Tegan. Nyssa had departed for some much-needed rest, and the Doctor could feel himself slipping into slumber. He shook himself awake, mentally kicking himself, and focussed on the nymph-like woman lying comatose in the bed beside him.

After they had resuscitated Tegan, they had deposited her in her bedroom, and proceeded back to the planet where they had found the orb, before they had first arrived, and hidden it somewhere else. Persephone was now on her way to oblivion. Looking back, the Doctor mused that he should have been more merciful. But the darkness Persephone had unleashed in him was taking time to put back in its cage. Long periods spent by her side in meditation, thinking within himself. Whereas he had been so filled with anger and revenge; now he only felt pity for Persephone. She was a wretched creature.

He looked down on Tegan's face, luminescent and lovely in sleep, and felt something in him lock. Persephone hadn't only unearthed his darker side that night. He sighed wearily, passing a hand over his eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to let himself doze for a few minutes; just until Tegan woke up.

Yes he would rest. Just for a little while.

* * *

Tegan woke groggily, feeling her head throb slightly as she levered her head up off the pillow. The Doctor sat beside her, and she watched him concernedly; he looked every minute of his 750 years today. There were deep shadows beneath his eyes, making his youthful face seem so much older. And he was, underneath it all. Tegan felt a wave of tenderness towards the Time Lord, and sat up. Every muscle in her body ached, but the pain in her head had waned. As she sat up, the covers of the duvet slipped down, and she looked down at the nightgown she wore. Not the one she would have chosen to be possessed in, if she'd had the choice. But then again, she hadn't stopped to change after waking up that morning in the Doctor's arms. She blushed as memories rose up, but after the alien had taken over, her memory was a blank spot, until she had wrested back control for a short time, but then she only remembered a great pain and then nothing. She tore her eyes away from their inspection of the embroidery on her coverlet and looked again to the Doctor.

He was slumped in his seat; arms crossed over his chest, coatless and hatless, the fringe of his blonde hair falling over his eyes. She smiled, and reached out a hand to his cheek.

"Doctor?" she whispered gently. The moment her fingers touched his skin, the Doctor jerked awake.

"Tegan! You're awake!" he smiled, and surprised her by bouncing off his seat and perching on the side of the bed, hauling her into his arms, hugging her wildly. After a shocked minute, Tegan returned the hug, breathing the scent clinging to him in deep.

"Thank Rassilon, I thought we'd lost you for a moment," he murmured against her neck, and she felt tears sting her eyes. For a moment he had; until he had called her back. It was only because of him that she was here at all.

"The alien?" she asked, her voice slightly strained, as she was pressed quite tightly against the Doctor's cricket-jumper-clad chest.

"Gone. You're free," the Doctor released her, taking her hand instead. "I should fetch Adric and Nyssa. They've been worried about you," he said, about to move off the bed in search of the youngsters, but Tegan stopped him

"Doctor, how long was I out? What happened? I don't remember…" she muttered. The Doctor looked at her inscrutably for a moment, before sighing and settling himself more comfortably on the bed.

"What do you want to know?" he asked, dreading her answer.

"When I was possessed, I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" she asked. The Doctor's eyes with a familiar exasperated expression.

"Tegan, you didn't hurt anyone, whilst you were possessed. Nothing happened…" he lied, but he could tell by Tegan's face she didn't buy it.

"Doctor, what aren't you telling me?" she sent him a shrewd glare. He sighed, looking down at the bedspread. Tegan refused to look away, but…..was he blushing? A cold feeling of dread spread over her skin.

"You, er, you or rather Persephone tried to s-seduce me into letting her keep your body," he risked a quick glance up at Tegan, his eyes travelling over the marblesque skin of her collarbone, to her eyes. His lingered on the spot on her neck he remembered paying particular attention to that night Persephone took control. The recollection had him blushing again.

"I…..I….." Tegan stammered, blinking rapidly, fighting down the panic and the confusion. She could feel herself redden, as she looked at the Doctor. Presumably he didn't enjoy it much either. "Doctor, I….."

"I'll just get Nyssa and Adric, and leave you to rest, Tegan," the Doctor cut across her briskly, standing up hastily. Tegan watched him cross the room with his usual energetic bounce, feeling her heart sink. As much as she had tried to fool herself, she didn't regret her, or his, actions that night. But it was obvious he did, since he refused to talk about it, or indeed skirted the issue altogether. She put her face in her hands, as footsteps echoed up the corridor.

* * *

The Doctor stood at the threshold of his room, looking out on the Cloister, one arm braced on the doorjamb. He was coatless and jumperless, the sleeves rolled up to his elbow, the remnants of an abandoned repair job littering the floor behind him. He truly couldn't think, couldn't concentrate long enough to work at the moment. It had been three days since Tegan had awoken, and they had been studiously avoiding each other, not remaining in the same room alone. When in company they avoided looked at each other, but in unguarded moments, he had caught her watching him with something like pain in her eyes. It had taken all his restraint not to catch her up in his arms, take her somewhere in the Tardis, and sort this whole damned mess out. He pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly, letting out a frustrated sigh. This whole situation was getting on his last nerve.

But at the end of the day, he had to admit, he was a coward. He was as guilty of avoiding the situation as Tegan was. He truly didn't know if he could handle the storm of emotions the creature's possession had unleashed, in respect to Tegan. The night he had, there was no other word for it, seduced her, it hadn't been entirely the alien's influence. It had been him and her, together. The memories plagued him in the few moments of isolation he had. The feel of her soft lips clinging to his, her body arching under him…

Stop it!

It was no use wallowing in reminiscences, none at all. It would only torture him further. No, it was time for him to go back to work, and try to fight his way through the hours that the others slept. Time for him to attempt to forget all that he never could.

* * *

A sound in the Cloister outside alerted him, drew him from his thoughts, and he looked up, partially screened form view by an ivy-covered pillar. Tegan was walking in the Cloister, clasping a shawl around her arms, a thoughtful expression on her face. He watched her from his hiding place, drinking in her beauty as she walked, absentmindedly trailing her fingers over the ancient stone. One section of his brain muttered that the silly girl should be in bed, all the rest told it to shut up, whilst he yearned for her. But he didn't move, just stood and stared.

Tegan turned in the direction of his hiding place in that second, and the expression of yearning and indecision that rose to her young features had him breaking his trance, and moving away from his hiding place.

Tegan, deep in thought, heard the scrape of trainers on the stone floor and turned in its direction. Mortification reddened her face when she saw who it was.

* * *

"Doctor!"

He just looked at her.

"I-I was just taking a walk. I couldn't sleep," she stuttered out an excuse. It was true enough, yet why was his gaze making her feel like he could see right through her? "I-I was just thinking."

"Thinking?" he asked quietly, his voice a gentle query, his hands in their usual position in his trouser pockets, the muscled forearm revealed from beneath the white linen. Tegan mentally slapped her head. That single word brought back all her 'thoughts', alright. He walked forward into the light, and she was forcibly reminded of the last time he had found her here, alone in the middle of the night.

"I-I had better get back to bed," she muttered, already turning away to make her escape. The Doctor moved, fast as lightning, half-tempted to let her go, but rebelling. He couldn't let this go on any longer.

Tegan felt cool fingers curl around her elbow, pulling her back. All the way back, until her chest met the Doctor's linen-clad one. His hand switched position, moving to her back, the other one meeting and clasping it, so she was trapped in the circle of his arms. Her breath hitching, her eyes travelled up his body to his eyes, swallowing hard.

"Doctor, please don't," she murmured, her heart aching as she looked at him. This couldn't happen again.

"Brave heart, Tegan," he whispered, in the moment before their lips made contact. Tegan couldn't fight it, couldn't fight the compulsion that rose in her at his touch. Their kiss turned urgent, as all the feelings they had both tried to forget came back with a vengeance. Tegan's hands, curled into fists on his chest, relaxed and slid into his hair, pulling herself closer. It would so easy just to let him take her, take her to his bed and have done with it.

Satisfied she wouldn't pull away, the Doctor let his hands drift up her body to her neck and hair, one hand splayed over her shoulder blades.

Let himself say, through his body, what he couldn't say in words. He felt Tegan's response, her wholehearted giving of herself that took his breath away, leaving him dizzy. He raised his head, fought to breathe-

Tegan slipped from his arms with a gasp, holding her hand to her mouth.

"Rabbits! What have I done?" she asked, horrified. She hadn't meant to let her feelings run away with her. She went to run but the Doctor caught her arms.

"Tegan! Tegan, just wait one moment. Now I think I have something to say to you, and you have something to say in return. So here it goes-" the Doctor began, before Tegan cut him off, still trying to escape from his arms.

"It's alright, Doctor. You don't need to apologise. I understand it was just the alien," Tegan said in a small voice, steeling herself for the heartbreak she knew was coming.

"Tegan-"

"And I know you must be feeling guilty, but there's really no need-"

"Tegan!"

"What!" Tegan glared up at the Doctor, his strident bark cutting through her ruminations.

"Tegan, I do not regret that night, nor do I regret anything when it comes to you. The alien may have had possession of me, but she could not control me fully. That," he gestured airily, "was all me. Persephone just undermined my control."

Tegan froze. "Then you mean, it wasn't just that…that Persephon-whatever manipulating us?"

"No, my brave heart. She could not manipulate emotions that were not there. Which also means you have something you wish to tell me also?" he asked, a small grin on his annoyingly handsome face. Tegan's glare didn't falter. He raised an eyebrow superciliously. Their gazes locked and held.

Tegan gave up with a frustrated sigh. "Fine! Hell's teeth, Doc, this isn't exactly easy, y'know. I do have feelings for you, always have done, but I-I always believed it was impossible. I-" the Doctor cut her off with a kiss that seared her to the bone. A moment later her feet were swept out from under her, as the Doctor lifted her into his arms. He broke their kiss, as he moved between ivy-covered pillars.

"Where are you taking me?" Tegan asked, lost in his smoky blue eyes.

"Somewhere we can talk…..later," he growled. Tegan blinked; the Doctor _**growled**_?

A moment later, they were in a room Tegan vague remembered from that night, which she now guessed to be the Doctor's bedroom. He lay her down in the covers, kicking aside the litter of his work impatiently, before he joined her on the bed. Their lips met and fused as one, all thought wiped clean from their minds.

* * *

They took their time, learning each other anew, eager to discover this side of their companion. Tegan felt as though she were drowning in a cool flame, both burning and chilling, as he moved over her, within her, around her. She was utterly surrounded by him, possessed and possessing. Maybe this was the gift Persephone had given them, setting them free from the tension that had scripted their relationship from the start.

Their bodied merged as one, like puzzle pieces made to fit together, dancing in a rhythm as old as time, as the vortex of time and space whirled around them.

Hours later, when they collapsed, exhausted, Tegan snuggled against her Doctor, one hand splayed over his hearts contentedly, the sheets drawn up and over their cooling bodies. The Doctor absentmindedly stroked her hair, feeling as though a great weight had lifted from his shoulders. He was free, they were free now, to go on and re-script their relationship, their daily interaction as it should have been, if they'd both had the courage and admitted the truth a long time ago. He supposed he should thank Persephone for that.

* * *

A wry smile crept over his youthful face.

"I think I love you," Tegan's soft whisper punctured the silence. The Doctor stilled, although the hand caressing her hair didn't stop, and yet the words didn't horrify or mortify. They just felt right.

"Think? Don't you know?" he asked softly, looking down at the ruffled hair of the woman he'd just spent hours making love to.

"Don't you?" Tegan challenged him right back, looking up at him searchingly. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Love is not something any Time Lord feels easily. We are trained to ignore such emotions, to be impartial, to not allow our unnecessary emotions to cloud our judgements. But if this feeling, this contentment is love, then yes, I suppose I do. I love you, Tegan," he mused, as if trying to figure out a particularly hard mathematical equation. "Maybe it is something we have to discover together,"

"Maybe. After all, we have all the time in the world," Tegan relaxed back onto her lover's chest, snuggling against his side.

"One day, Tegan, I hope you'll have the courage and the trust in me to say those words without the 'I think'."

The Doctor's last words before she felt him fall asleep, brought Tegan up short. She _did_ trust him, had trusted him with her life. And he had given her the same courtesy, not a moment ago. He had entrusted her with his heart, or hearts. Their solid beat beneath her palm brought the reality home. She _did _love him.

"Alright then. I love you," she whispered. For a moment, she thought the Doctor hadn't heard her, that he was asleep, but a nanosecond later she was flat on her back again beneath him, looking up into his beloved, cornflower blue eyes.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked, his voice deliciously husky. Tegan, despite the anticipation stirring her veins, glared at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Arrogant Time Lord," she muttered, as their lips met, and his hard body shifted atop hers.

"That's my brave heart," he murmured, when their lips broke, just long enough, before he set his lips to her pulse, nuzzling down her neck, his hands under her waist, letting her feel the strength of the desire he felt for her. Tegan pressed her head back into the pillows and let their love wash through her and sweep her away.

The future was shrouded, unknown, but whatever challenges it hid, they would face them together. As one.

The Doctor and his brave heart.

_**Finis**_


End file.
